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Yummy easy one-pan pasta that’s delicately delicious, full of bright lemony flavor, a bite of white wine, tons of garlic and parmesan and topped with slices of tender juicy chicken breasts. Perfect for an easy weeknight, you’ll love how quick and simple this recipe is to make.
This one-pan pasta is buttery, garlicky, and bright with citrus, but best of all, it’s super easy to make. Whip this up in 25 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This One-Pan Pasta
- Vibrant – this lemon pasta is bold, full of delicious fresh and bright flavors.
- Quick and Easy – It’s the kind of pasta dish you turn to on busy weeknights when you want a satisfying dinner on the table in 25 minutes.
- Elevated – not a mundane pasta, this is a dish that’s simple to make but taste like lots of effort. It’s a dish I’d order at a nice restaurant.
- Loved by Kids and Adults – universally adored by kids and adults alike. You can easily sub the wine for extra chicken stock to make it more kid-friendly.
Key Ingredients in Lemon Parmesan One-Pan Pasta
Butter – it adds the perfect amount of richness to the base of the sauce. You can sub for olive oil if desired.
Garlic – fresh garlic is so important as it adds that strong savory flavor.
Parmesan – not only does it add that salty nutty cheesiness, it also helps to thicken the sauce.
Pasta – I chose to use spaghetti but you can also use angel hair, linguini or your favorite long pasta.
Lemon – not only do we use the fresh lemon juice for tang and brightness, we also use the zest for fragrant lemony flavor.
White Wine – a dry white wine adds a sharp bite to the pasta
Chicken Stock – much more flavorful and robust than just chicken broth, but you are welcome to use broth if it’s all you have on hand.
Half and Half – adds creaminess and a tad more heaviness to the sauce
Chicken Breast – pounded until an even thickness, well seasoned and cooked to perfectly juicy.
Want to Sub The Wine?
No problem. I get this request a lot with several of my recipes. Whether it’s pregnant women, cooking for kids, etc. there are plenty of reasons to want to substitute the white wine. Although nothing quite compares to the same flavor of wine, you can use extra chicken stock (1:1 ratio) in the absence of wine. I like to also add a bit more lemon juice to kick up the tanginess that wine has. Start with just an extra tablespoon of lemon juice or so.
How to Make One-Pan Pasta?
Step 1: Season chicken liberally on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. Flip just once, immediately add 1/3 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to simmer and cover pan, allow to cook 5 more minutes.
Step 2: Melt the butter over medium heat into the same skillet. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add salt and pepper. Add in 3/4 cup white wine and cook 2 minutes to allow it to reduce slightly. Then add 3/4 cup chicken stock and 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
Step 3: Slowly pour in the half and half then bring to a gentle boil. Add the pasta into the pan, breaking in half if needed or allow them to heat so you can bend them into the pan using tongs.
Looking for More Easy Weeknight Recipes?
Blackened Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Garlic Butter Steak with Parmesan Cream Sauce
Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Bake
Cajun Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for this Lemon Parmesan One-Pan Pasta! Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback! If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Lemon Parmesan One-Pan Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts
- 2 chicken breasts pounded to an even 1/4 inch thick
- 1-2 tablespoons cajun seasoning or all-purpose chicken seasoning use your favorite
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
Lemon Parmesan Pasta
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 3/4 cups dry white wine sauv blanc, chard, or pinot grigio
- 3/4 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + zest of one lemon
- 1 cup half and half, room temp
- 1/2 lb angel hair pasta
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
- fresh parsley to garnish
- red pepper flakes to taste
- salt and pepper to taste about 1/2 tsp of each
Instructions
- Season chicken liberally on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip just once, immediately add 1/3 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to simmer and cover pan, allow to cook 5 more minutes. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate tented with foil.
- Melt the butter over medium heat into the same skillet (some leftover chicken stock in the pan is fine). Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add salt and pepper.
- Add in 3/4 cup white wine and cook 2 minutes to allow it to reduce slightly. Then add 3/4 cup chicken stock and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Slowly pour in the half and half then bring to a gentle boil. Add the pasta into the pan, breaking in half if needed or allow them to heat so you can bend them into the pan using tongs.
- Allow pasta to simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low and continue to simmer until pasta is al dente.
- Add the parmesan gradually, reserving some for serving. The sauce will continue to thicken as the dish sits.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley, lemon zest, red pepper flakes. Toss well and serve with sliced chicken and parmesan on top.
I made this last night and damn it is already gone! So delicious!
I plan on making the lemon pasta a chicken. It’s nutritious. I have shared this recipe w 5 other family members.
This was so good and easy to make. I used skin on boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts. The chicken skin got a little soggy after covering the pan to simmer. If I use skin on chicken again next time, I may just leave it uncovered while the rest of the chicken cooks. I like my skin crispy. If it was just chicken breast, it would have been fine. Definitely a going to be a keeper in my rotation!!
Just made this tonight. Halved the recipe since there were only 2 of us. I should not have halved the sauce. I would’ve liked to have had more sauce for dipping the chicken in. We grilled our chicken AND I cooked the linguine separately, not in the sauce. Added crushed red pepper on top. This recipe is VERY good good! Paired it with grilled zucchini planks 😋